Hugh Edward de Wardener (8 October 1915 – 29 September 2013) was a British

medical doctor A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

who was an expert in the treatment of kidney disease. He was a pioneer of dialysis treatment and the first doctor in the United Kingdom to perform renal biopsies.

Biography

Educated at

Malvern College Malvern College is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent coeducational day and boarding school in Malvern, Worcestershire, Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is a public school (United Kingdom), public school in the British sen ...

and St. Thomas' Medical School, he worked at a hospital until the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He joined the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

during the war and was posted to Singapore soon before its fall to the Japanese. He spent the rest of the war as a

POW A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

in the notorious Changi camp, during which time while treating fellow prisoners he established that

beriberi Thiamine deficiency is a medical condition of low levels of thiamine (Vitamin B1). A severe and chronic form is known as beriberi. The two main types in adults are wet beriberi and dry beriberi. Wet beriberi affects the cardiovascular system, r ...

is caused by a deficiency of Vitamin B1, not as was previously thought by excessive consumption of alcohol. He was awarded a military

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

in 1946. He showed that

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

raises blood pressure. In 1998, he co-authored ''Salt, Diet and Health'' with

Graham MacGregor Graham Alexander MacGregor is a British academic, professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Wolfson Institute, Queen Mary University of London MacGregor trained at Charing Cross Hospital where he was taught by the distinguished nephrologist, ...

. The book documents scientific evidence of the negative health effects of excess salt that is added to

processed food Convenience food, also called tertiary processed food, is food that is commercially prepared (often through processing) to optimise ease of consumption. Such food is usually ready to eat without further preparation. It may also be easily por ...

s and how excessive salt intake increases the occurrence of

hypertension Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...

and increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. He was Professor of Medicine, University of London, Charing Cross Hospital, 1960–81, and subsequently Emeritus professor. He was Honorary Consultant Physician to the Army, 1975–1980. He was appointed

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

on his retirement in 1982.

Selected publications

*''Salt, Diet and Health'' (with Graham MacGregor, 1998)

References

External links

A Tribute to Hugh de Wardener
* (Oxford University Press, December 2010) {{DEFAULTSORT:Wardener, Hugh Edward de 1915 births 2013 deaths British Army personnel of World War II 20th-century English medical doctors British World War II prisoners of war Academics of the University of London Alumni of St Thomas's Hospital Medical School Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Food policy in the United Kingdom People educated at Malvern College Royal Army Medical Corps soldiers Salt researchers